Sunset+201810

High adventure connects with creature comforts

at the point where the Olympic mountain range meets

international waters. By Kim Brown Seely

Known as a gate-

way to Olympic

National Park , Port

Angeles is a stone’s

throw from 7,000-

foot peaks and

miles of trails. But

this historically

blue-collar town is

more than a hiker’s

pit stop. (Though

the locals—park

rangers, shipyard

workers, and coast

guard pilots among

them—tend to rank

high on the nature-

loving scale.) A fer-

ry ride away from

British Columbia’s

Victoria and a lei-

surely drive to

Seattle, downtown

beckons with indie

bookstores, vintage

finds , and fresh

seafood. Best of all,

the former timber

town’s Elwha River

is flush with salm-

on, thanks to 2014’s

dam-removal proj-

ect (the largest in

U.S. history ). The

fish now run free,

much like Port

Angeles itself.

WASHINGTON’S

PERFECT DAY

Photographs by MICHAEL HANSON

Travel

22 OCTOBER 2018 ❖ SUNSET